Building construction



May 12, 1970 G. M MAsTER 3,511,005

BUILDING CONSTRUCTION Filed Jan. 22, 1968 4 Sheets-Sheet l 21 g uifiVEggOR.

May 12, 1970 G. Ma MAsTER BUILDING CONSTRUCTION 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Jan. 22, 1968 May 12, 1970 s. M MASTER BUILDING CONSTRUCTION 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Jan. 22, 1968 F IG, 6)

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May 12, 1970 I MaoMAsTER 3,511,005

BUILDING CONSTRUCTION Filed Jan. 22, 1968 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 United States Patent 3,511,005 BUILDING CONSTRUCTION Gordon MacMaster, Box 6, Cambridgeport, Vt. 05141 Filed Jan. 22, 1968, Ser. No. 699,467

Int. Cl. E04b 2/80; E04c 1/10 US. Cl. 52-293; 1 Claim ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A wall construction consisting of a frame within which are arranged blocks that are secured to the frame to form complete wall panels or closures. The frame and blocks are especially designed to be made from short lengths of wood which are preformed to specifications common to all walls to be built according to this system. The basic blocks are of uniform dimensions for full and half block sizes with tongues and grooves along the sides and ends that mate with adjoining blocks and frame members. The

framework consists of a sill member, vertical posts at opposite ends of the sill member and a top plate assembly. The vertical posts and one part of the top-plate assembly can be made in uniform lengths for all structures employing this system, so that only the sill members and another part of the plate assembly need to be cut to order for the required wall dimensions in any particular building plan. The frame members are pinned or doweled at each corner and are provided with tongues or grooves for interlocking with the blocks.

This invention relates to improvements in wood blocks used for walls and partitions in buildings and to a structural system in which said blocks are employed, this block type of construction being especially suited to the low cost or second home market.

The principal accomplishment of my invention, therefore, is a greatly simplified method of assembling such structural walls with their frames, said method or system consisting of a wood frame as the principal structural element together with wood building blocks arranged between and secured to said frame members and forming ment of building elements and devices as hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings:

FIG. 1 is an isometric of a portion, to wit, one end of a building employing a frame and block panels arranged in accordance with one form of my invention;

FIG. 2 is an elevation of one complete wall of a structure showing in greater detail the elements mentioned above;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a basic building block unit and a half block unit required for breaking joints;

FIG. 4 is a top view of a basic block showing the double tongues and grooves used for mating purposes;

FIG.5 is a side view of a basic block;

FIG. 6 is end view of the same block;

FIG. 7 is a sectional view through adjacent portions of two blocks about to be fitted together and showing in detail the mating arrangements, one block to the next;

3,511,005 Patented May 12, 1970 FIG. 8 shows in perspective and broken away the arrangement of two horizontal plate members meeting at a corner with predrilled pin holes aligned for. ease of assembly;

FIGS. 9a and 9b are side and top views respectively, of a plate assembly;

FIG. 10 is a section through one plate member taken along the line 10'--10 of FIG. 9a.

FIGS. 11a, 11b and 110 are top, side and bottom views, respectively, of a vertical corner post;

FIG. 12 is a section through a corner post taken on the line 12-12 of FIG. 11b, and showing grooves or rabbets provided for mating purposes;

FIGS. 13a and 1312 are top and side views of a horizontal sill member;

FIG. 14 is a section through the sill member taken on the line 14-14 of FIG. 13b; and

FIG. 15 is an exploded view of parts of a wall assembly in accordance with the invention.

Referring now to the drawings in detail:

FIGS. 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 show the basic block in detail, as it might be used in house or other building construction and as contemplated by this invention. The block 80 is generally elongated, somewhat higher than wide and is milled on the four mating sides. A similar block 80a (FIG. 15) half the length of block 80 is provided to allow the vertical joints in the wall panels to be broken. the top and one end of both the block and the half block have parallel tongues 80 and 82 with sides slightly beveled to facilitate installation. The bottom and other end of the basic blocks are milled with corresponding grooves, an inner groove 83 and an outer groove '84, the grooves 83 and '84 being. beveled to mate with the sides of the corresponding tongues 81, 82 milled to a depth somewhat greater than the said tongues. For example, as shown in FIG. 7 the depth of grooves 83 and 84 equal y+ y where the height of each tongue -81 and 82, is equal to y. By this method any capillary action whereby water might penetrate the wall is broken. Two sets of mating members are provided, however, for stability and to prevent such capillary action. Other features of my novel system include the beveling of the upper horizontal edges '85 and the inner lower edge 85a in order to minimize the effect of any misalignment. The drip edge 86 on the lower exterior edge is square, thereby cooperating with the beveled upper edge 85 of the block below diverting any water from the horizontal joint which might tend to penetrate the structure.

Referring to FIGS. 8, 9 and 10 which depict the plate arrangement called for in my invention, 70' and 71 of these drawings show how, by employing a two-member assembly for the plate on each wall or partition, material can be provided which can be shipped more easily due to its shorter length, and then, with a minimum knowledge of carpentry, assembled to the precise length of the sill of that wall thus assuring even the rank amateur of a workmanlike structure. FIGS. 9a and b particularly shows the simplicity of my invention in this regard, whereby the bottom half 73 of the horizontally cutout inner end of member 70 extends to receive the corresponding top half 74 of its opposite member 71 in a lap splice, gaps 72 remaining and varying with the amount of adjustment necessary to bring the plate to the same length as the sill. FIGS. 8, 9 and 10 also illustrate an especial feature of my invention, in which the pin holes 52 at the outer ends of both members 70, 71 align with each other and with a like hole in a corner post 60 below, and allow for the installation of a dowel-shaped pin 90 (FIG. 15). The outer ends of both members 70 and 71 are cut away at 75 and 76, respectively, so that the overlapping extensions at opposite ends of each member are located on opposite sides of the member. The undersides of plate members 70 and 71 are provided with grooves 83a and 84b which 'extend substantially the full length' of each member but stop short of the outer ends as indicated in FIG. 9a so that the grooves are not exposed.

- No vertical members are required by my invention except the corner posts 60. FIG. 11 details a typical corner post as used in my system of construction and shows the pin holes 52 at both top and bottom and the vertical grooves 93, 94 and 95 to receive (a) the mating end tongues 81 and 82 of the blocks 80 from one direc tion and (b). the splines 91 (FIG. 15), which mate the opposing members with grooves 83 and '84 in the ends of the blocks that form the wall extending the other direction.

The horizontal sill members 50 used in my invention (FIG. 13) not only provide double tongues 81a and 82a that mate with grooves 83 and 84 in the under sides of blocks '80 to prevent capillary water action, but also include a 45-degree offset 96 to carry rain water away from the wall plus a drip groove or recess 97 as shown in the cross sectional view of FIG. 14.

Reference is now made to FIG. 15 wherein will be found an exploded view illustrating the entire basic concept of my invention, the relationship of the various elements one to another and the particular simplicity with which the whole can be assembled.

Beginning at the bottom of the view (and as in actual construction) the sill members 50 are shown in place (in an undersize building for graphic purposes) having been positioned by means of the pin holes 52. Pins 90, which are longer than the thickness of the sill, are driven into place in the pin holes 52 noted above, so that portions of both pins 90 remain exposed above the upper surface of the sill. The top plate is then established as to length by placing the members 70 and 71 on top of the sill 50 with the pins 90 extending into the pin holes 52 of the plate members. With the top plate assembly thus accurately measured for length the members 70' and 71 are fastened together at their inner, overlapping ends 73, 74 by means of nails or bolts. The plate assembly is then liftedofi ,the pins 90 in the sill member and placed aside for installation after the wall has been erected.

Corner posts 60 are then driven onto pins 90, plumbed and temporarily held in place with diagonal supports until the plate assemblies are positioned following installation of the blocks. As can be seen from further examination of FIG. 15, the space between the corner posts or uprights 60 is filled with the basic wall blocks 80 and 80a. Since the sill members are precut to accommodate even running courses horizontally and the corner posts are precut to accommodate even block courses vertically, no cutting or fitting is required. Blocks are driven into blocks, secured by nailing, and in the case of female members meeting corner posts, are splined thereto with splines 91.

A secondary set of pins 90' is then driven into pin holes 52 at the top of the corner posts, and finally, the plate assembly 70, 71 which, as described above, was made up to exactly thesame length as the sill member, is dropped onto the exposed portions of the upper set of pins 90 thus completing the wall structure.

The resultant structure as can be seen is the hallmark of simplicity.

If desired the sill members 50 can also be made up manner as the plate assembly 70, 71. In that event, the first step in constructing a wall in accordance with my invention will be to position the pin-holes at the outer ends of each portion of the sill at the desired points at each end .of the wall with their inner ends overlapping. The two parts of the sill are then nailed or otherwise suitably fastened together at thepoint where they overlap and the pins driven into the pin holes 52 so that the top plate assembly 70, 71 can be made up as before to exactly right length.

In this way, all the frame members-,as'well as the wall blocks can be cut in short lengths in order to facilitate shipping.

What is claimed is:

1. A wall construction comprising building blocks laid end-to-end in courses, one course upon another, a sill member on which a first course is laid, vertical posts ex tending upward from the ends of said sill member, an elongated plate assembly extending between the upper ends of the vertical posts, and fastener means for rigidly fixing said vertical posts to said sill member and plate assembly; said blocks, sill member vertical posts and plate assembly having interengaging tongue and groove means extending longitudinally of the joints formed between them, and said plate assembly comprising a pair of elongated plate members disposed end-to-end, the adjacent ends of each of said plate members having a cutout from its end on a side opposite that of the other plate member with said cutouts overlapping to form a lap joint between them, said cutouts each being long enough longi. tudinally of said plate members to form gaps between the inner extremities of said plate members and the ends of said cutouts when said plate assembly is fixed at both outer extremities to said vertical posts, in which both of the upper and one only of the lower horizontal edges extending along the wall surfaces of each of said blocks is beveled, the fourth such horizontal edge being square, such that said square edge in conjunction with the upper beveled edge of the next adjacent block below helps vert water away from the joint between said blocks.

References Cited UNITED sTATEs PATENTS Adams 52233 X PRICE C. FAW, JR., Primary Examiner U.S. Cl. X.R. 

